Six Kingdoms

Session 10/16/10

22

OCT/10

June 15 1224

We woke this morning with three possible things to do, all interesting and all very exciting.

I.Jean-Jacque approached Sword Master Valerius with a request.Upon hearing of our success with the Countess’s mission, he had asked us to escort a Catalan Diplomat to meet with the King of Coeur au Soleil, at his field encampment in Almania.The journey would definitely be full of excitement and adventure for the others, and give me a chance to continue my study of the land and complete my maps.

II.A notorious murderer escaped from justice a few weeks back and was believed to be hiding somewhere in Coronale. Jeremie Clavet, the magistrate from Coronale who is in line to become the high judge when the current high judge retires, asked us to help with his search and capture the murderer.

III.The Rosary of Santa Willa, said to be a true relic of the Seven Sisters, was stolen from Father Vignon while he slept in his rooms at the Honey Spring Inn, a roadside travel lodge located in Shalom.Sir Bernardine learned of this theft from his Templar brethren.

As it turned out, Etienne refused to leave during the festival. Anything that would need doing and required his presence would have to wait until after the festival activities.Brother Cedric was advocated leaving him behind to proceed with the investigation of the relic’s theft, but both Thomas and Bertrand would have stayed behind with Etienne.It was decided to do what we could here in town, and wait for the young entertainer.Brother Cedric was not pleased with the delay.

The missing prayer beads belonged to Santa Willa the Humble.She was said to have stopped a war between Oksandr and East Almania.Sir Bernardine agreed to escort us to the Templar Chapter House in hopes of finding out more information on the theft, its former carrier, where the relic was being taken and who else knew of its transportation and travel route.Unfortunately, of all the Templars to run into, Francis Delorge was lounging outside as we arrived.Francis Delorge, an ambitious Templar and wannabe Inquisitor, confronted us immediately.Throwing insult after insult at Brother Cedric and me, he literally sent for his horse so that he personally could take me and put me to the Question.Francis Delorge is convinced that since I mastered religious theory and basic divine Theurgy faster than any priest he knew, I therefore must be somehow linked to the devil and his demonic influences.

Delorge is a very old and prominent family which gives Francis power and makes that power dangerous.I will double my efforts to remain out of his sights in hopes he finds something else to sport at bullying.

We are saved by the intervention of Sir Jacque Labrousse, the head of the Templar chapter house who spirited us away to his private chamber to discuss the relic’s theft.He did make a point of warning us not to antagonize Templar Delorge. We learned from him a number of useful facts:

I.The missing relic was called the Rosary of Santa Willa

II.It has seven beads, each having a different power it can impart to the true believer who carries them.

III.The relic is said to be fashioned from a curious purple stone, opaque and hard like a child’s marble but more roughly cut.

IV.It is reported to have the ability to grant absolution to a sinner for any Sin.Sir Labrousse knew of three individuals it did this to, but apparently, not without cost.These three, upon receiving absolution, gave away all of their worldly possessions and joined various branches of the church and monastery.It was also said to be able to do the following:

1.Heal disease

2.Make its bearer immune to poison

3.Enhance or gift Theurgic ability.

V.The Prelate of the Church of Eru ordered Father Vignon to bring the relic to Coronale.He was to take it to Sister Marie Jousseleau who sits on the Theurgic Council as Prime Theurge.

VI.Father Vignon works in the house of the prelate and serves as his personal messenger.He was poisoned causing him to sleep through the theft and a total of 20 hours.Father Vignon was an “accomplished Theurge”.

VII.A select group of individuals knew of the Relic’s transport, carrier and route:The Prelate, The head of the Templar Chapter House in Shalom, the heads of Lons-Le Saunier, the Prelate’s staff, the Theurgic Council (at the very least the Prime Theurge).

After hearing all that Sir Labrousse had to tell us, we decided to search out Father Vignon.We learned from Sir Labrousse that he was currently residing at The Church of the Nine Fold Virtues (the Basilica).

Surprisingly, Father Vignon, a short, slightly portly silvered haired man, agreed to see us, and provided us with the following facts:

1.The box that carried the relic was a Theurgic prepared box.On it was a dweomer that would sound a loud alarm if it was opened without the proper pass phrase.

2.People in the Inn heard the alarm but didn’t know what to make of it, the poison kept Father Vignon from waking. No one saw anyone or anythinggoing into or leaving either Father Vignon’s room or the Inn.

For us to continue investigating, we would have to leave for Chalon, where the relic was last seen.We decide to find out what we could about the escaped murderer instead.

June 16 1224

We made arrangements to see the Magistrate, squeezing between two of his previously scheduled appointments.We learned the following:

I.The murderer’s name is Marcel Melard, known as Black Eye Marcel.He was last seen in the doc area just last week.

II.Melard kills his victims and eviscerates them, leaving messages using their entrails taunting other people and future victims.

III.There was no discernable pattern to his murder locations, the messages or in the victims he chose.We asked for a list of victims, their murder locations (or where their bodies turned up) and where they were last seen.We also asked for a list of guards on duty when Marcel Melard escaped the Bastille.

We weren’t able to speak to the Magistrate for very long, but he promised to have the lists sent to us as soon as he could.When we returned to the Ducharme Estate, a letter was waiting for us from Father Vignon.He wanted us to come and meet with him at our earliest convenience.We left straightway.Father Vignon learned that there was another sister on the Theurgic Council who was very envious of the Prime.Sister Valentine thinks herself a more talented and accomplished Theurgist compared to the Prime, but was not as politically savvy.Currently Sister Valentine serves as secretary to the Prime.This might be motive.

June 17 1224

The lists arrive from the Magistrate:

1.Murder One

a.Victim:Sailor

b.Location:Docs

c.Message: none

2.Murder Two

a.Victim:Cooper

b.Location:Guild Hall

c.Message: none

3.Murder Three

a.Victim:Metalworker

b.Location:Near Docs

c.Message: none

4.Murder Four

a.Victim:Mason

b.Location:Tavern

c.Message: none

5.Murder Five

a.Victim:Courtesan

b.Location:Alley, other sideof town

c.Message: none

6.Murder Six

a.Victim:Beggar

b.Location:Stuffed in barrel, near Docs

c.Message: On the floor of nearby warehouse

7.Murder Seven

a.Victim:Soldier

b.Location:Roof of Stables

c.Message: none

8.Murder Eight

a.Victim:Courier

b.Location:Nailed to a tree, message pouch gone

c.Message: none

9.Murder Nine

a.Victim:Drunkard

b.Location:wine cellar of a tavern

c.Message: none

June 18 1224

With Etienne taking himself out of the picture, Sword Master Valerius and Thomas take on the job of combing the taverns in search of information.I was quite amazed at the quality of information and efficiency in which they were able to attain it.Some of the information, however, was either not quite accurate, or disproved as rumor.

June 19 1224

Thomas and Sword Master Valerius went out to try to find more information about the murderer.Again, the information was not as useful as we would have liked, but they did stumble upon something noteworthy.A dozen soldiers dressed in the King’s Livery were seen heading south in haste on horseback.

June 20 1224

The tournaments began today.Valerius found out that the men from yesterday were the king’s guards.The diplomat we were asked to escort was kidnapped!We all felt terrible, but with Etienne refusing to leave as it were, and Thomas and Bertrand staying behind as well, we saw we had little choice. There are mixed feelings in the group. My hope is that the schism is repairable.

At the tournaments, I saw Rossi brother and his mother, a dark raven haired beautiful young woman.I joined them and they were courteous in offering me food and wine.I noticed that the others in the stands were giving them a wide birth, the closest a good ten feet away.During the fights I caught a glimpse of something powerful and forbidding about her. She is more than her appearance portrays and I understand now why the other observers kept their distance, whether knowingly or not.Jean-Carlo fights the student of one of the five great sword masters of the land’s, Ignacio de Vega.Jean-Carlo demonstrates incredible speed and strength, but in the end, Ignacio de Vega’s student’s skill is too superior for him to overcome.Jean-Carlo’s younger brother was extremely bored with the competitions and obviously did not want to be there.Jean-Carlo won all his matches save this one.

June 21 1224

Girard Thibault d'Anversstudent is beaten by Brice Desnoyers (a nobody), who also later beats Ignacio de Vega’s student’s.This is a surprising upset at the tournament.

June 22, 1224

First day of the festival. Brother Cedric starts to fast.The winner of the Joust, Sir Theophile Bowmont, from the Deutchy of Chabon.Long brown curls…. It is said by the women who attended that he is quite dreamy.